Temporary July 31, 2019

1 Corinthians 7:31 New International Version (NIV)

31 those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away.

This often repeated theme in the New Testament and from the lips of Jesus should be the great reminder that we shouldn't spend our lives working for what is temporary.

Thought for today: Am I heavily invested and stress over things that I know will not last?

Perfect Surrender July 30, 2019

John 7:30-31 New International Version (NIV)

30 At this they tried to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come. 31 Still, many in the crowd believed in him. They said, “When the Messiah comes, will he perform more signs than this man?”

The enemies of Jesus had tried repeatedly to seize him. Yet the Gospel of John reminds us again and again that no one could seize Jesus until he offered himself up to them. Jesus followed God's timetable just as carefully as he obeyed his Father's will. So we can know with assurance that when Jesus died, he did so to redeem us and obey his Father's will, not because he was powerless to defend himself. Jesus' death is a voluntary sacrifice, a triumph of his obedience to his Father's will over his own will for preservation. He obeyed and we are saved! He offered himself as a sacrifice so we could be adopted into the Father's family!

Thought for today: Can you and do you submit to righteousness and right acts?

Blessings July 29, 2019

2 Samuel 7:29 New International Version (NIV)

29 Now be pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever in your sight; for you, Sovereign Lord, have spoken, and with your blessing the house of your servant will be blessed forever.”

God had blessed King David incredibly — from a shepherd boy to King, from an errand boy to a war hero, from a small town to the leader of a great empire. David's concern, however, was that God stay close to him and his descendants, and uphold the promises he had made to David. More than any other discovery in his life of service, David had learned that the future, that every battle, and that any real hope lie in the presence of the LORD God of Israel. When God speaks, he keeps his word. When God acts, he acts to redeem. So David asked that God do what he longs to do, bless his people and keep his promises.

Thought for today: Are my prayers offered knowing and trusting God will bless?

Thy Will Be Done July 28, 2019

Matthew 7:28-29 New International Version (NIV)

28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, 29 because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.

Unlike the teachers of his day, Jesus didn't have to shore up his teaching with obscure quotes from past teachers. Jesus, the Word of God, spoke the very words of God. He did and said what the Father willed. His life and his words had the ring of authenticity and an awareness of power that extend through the ages and beckon us to his truth. This Jesus, our Teacher and Lord, is different. His words are powerful. His teachings are true. So his will must be our passion!

Thought for today: Does my will line up with the will of God?

No One Knows July 27, 2019

John 7:27 New International Version (NIV)

27 But we know where this man is from; when the Messiah comes, no one will know where he is from.”

God in human flesh is how John 1:14 describes Jesus, God's ultimate message (cf. Heb. 1:1-3). Of course this is a mystery that we cannot fully fathom. It is beyond our human experience and limited reality. Jesus' critics want to easily characterize him as someone who cannot be Messiah because they think they know where he is from. They are wrong. They think he is from Nazareth and not Bethlehem. We know better. They are even more wrong, because Jesus isn't ultimately from Bethlehem; he is "from above." Jesus exhausts our imagination and overflows our cup of wonder as we seek to understand all that he is as our Savior, Christ the Lord.

Thought for today: Am I in the habit of allowing my imagination to accept worldly things but cannot apply the same level of imagination to include the things of God?

No Allowance July 26, 2019

Deuteronomy 7:26  (NIV)

26 Do not bring a detestable thing into your house or you, like it, will be set apart for destruction. Regard it as vile and utterly detest it, for it is set apart for destruction.

A little corruption, a little poison, and a little rotten are all oxymorons. God has made us pure and perfect in Jesus. What a glorious thought! Why would we want to stain his perfection with what is evil. Our Father wants us to dedicate ourselves to him, and to living as his holy people (Rom. 12:1-2; 1 Pet. 1:13-16).

Thought for today: Do I normalize negativity?

My Best Thinking Got Me Here July 25, 2019

Acts 7:25 New International Version (NIV)

25 Moses thought that his own people would realize that God was using him to rescue them, but they did not.

Timing is everything. Well, not everything, but an important thing. God's plan and power provide us with everything. Finding his timing for that plan and power is crucial. When Moses took it upon himself to redeem God's people, he failed. After being humbled in the wilderness, God called him back to deliver the people at the divine moment and according to the Almighty's plan. The results led to the Exodus — the redemption and rebirth of God's holy people.

Thought for today: Do I allow my ego/thinking to cloud my discernment?